THE FUTURE OF MAIN STREET
...and the wisdom to know the difference

This session is SOLD OUT -- a recording will
be posted on our website with additional information soon after the live presentation.

Mark Twain famously said, "it ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble.  It's what you know for sure that just ain't true."  Translated into contemporary lingo, it means there is no such thing as a 'new normal', and anyone who tells you otherwise is probably selling you something. 

We've been through quite a year (and a half), yet we can't (and shouldn't) really draw any conclusions based on consumer behavior during such an extraordinary time.  That said, patterns are beginning to emerge, some aspects of our future are starting to crystallize, and actually, it doesn't look half bad for our Downtowns and Main Streets.  In fact, it may even be... kind of exciting. 

In this thought-provoking and ultimately uplifting presentation, one of the nation's foremost experts on the subject will separate the signal from the noise, lay out where retail might ultimately be headed and where, on the other hand, we will need to learn how to accept the unknown. 

Speaker: Michael J. Berne
President, MJB Consulting,  Retail Contrarian Blog

Issues addressed include:

• The generational change, remote work, urban flight, entrepreneurial ecosystems, the "suburbanization (and co-opting) of hip", the Third Place(s) of the future, the re-imagining of public space and the impact of e-commerce. 
• Practical recommendations for what Main Street organizations can do to help their respective districts to prepare for, leverage the opportunities presented by, and accommodate the multiple possible directions of the industry's ongoing evolution.

In partnership with our AICP Certification Maintenance Partner

Pending approval for 1 AICP CM credit for certified planners